Battle of Dinas Powis

The Battle of Dinas Powis was fought in 885 AD between the armies of Wessex and Gliwissig during the Welsh Rebellion. Prince Aethelhelm's Anglo-Saxon army destroyed King Owin of Gliwissig's army in the decisive battle of the uprising, which allowed for Wessex to stamp out the last embers of Welsh resistance to Saxon rule shortly afterwards.

Background
King Owin of Gliwissig's declaration of independence from Wessex in 881 initiated the Welsh Rebellion, which soon spread to the neighboring Welsh principality of Gwent in 883. In 884, King Alfred the Great of Wessex's nephew Aethelhelm took the Gwentish capital of Cair Gwent by storm, conquering Gwent and ending its statehood. In the spring of 885, he embarked on a campaign against Gliwissig, the original instigator of the rebellion. His army took Dinas Powis after massacring Arthwail and the 18 other defenders of the town, and he made preparations to attack the Gliwissig capital of Lann Ildut the following summer. However, King Owin led his 1,485-strong army out of Lann Ildut to attack the Anglo-Saxons at their recent conquest, hoping to take advantage of their armies' near-equal numbers. Battle was met at Dinas Powis as spring of 885 neared summer.

Battle
The two armies drew up on opposing sides of the battlefield, with King Owin and his mounted bodyguards being positioned on the left flank of the Welsh army. King Owin impetuously rode ahead of the rest of his army, allowing for the West Saxon cavalrymen on the right flank of the Saxon army to charge him and his men. The King's bodyguards were put to flight after being overwhelmed, and Owin fought bravely until he was finally speared to death. His army was demoralized upon hearing of his death, and they faltered under the weight of a West Saxon flank attack. The Welshmen were routed from the field, and they were mercilessly pursued and slaughtered by the Saxons. Only 152 Welshmen survived the disaster, with Tewdur leading them in a retreat towards Lann Ildut.

Aftermath
Tewdur and the remnants of the army withdrew deeper into Morgannwg as the West Saxons marched on Lann Ildut. In the summer of 885, the West Saxons peacefully occupied Lann Ildut and then slew the Gliwissig general Senill and his 10 bodyguards on the northern outskirts of the city. The victory at Dinas Powis reduced Gliwissig to the town of Nedd, and it effectively signalled the doom of the Welsh uprising.